Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-01-20
ELECTION REFORMS PROPOSED.

ELECTION REFORMS PROPOSED.
Senator Dray's bill (No. q will we'll re-
pay examination. 1t proposes that cleo
ton precincts shall not include more than
$50 voters. Assemblyman Brierlys bill
(No. 8S) proposes that the maximum shall
be 800. The Senate bill requires the polls
to remain open until 6 p NJ. instead of
sunset. In San Francisco the law requires
the voting privilege to be open until $50.
We cannot understand why it should be
cut short for other parts Of the State. 1t
provides also that tickets shall be neither
delivered nor received by any one within
100 feet of the polling place. As the law
stands it may be handed to an inspector or
Judge within that distance. But the new
bill proposes that no one but the voter
shall handle his ballot, and thus the act of
casting be made literal. Hence, Section
1225 is to be amended to require exhibi-
ton OF the ballot to the inspector or judge,
but the voter (Sections 1926 and 1927,
after his name and residence have been
audibly announced and the registry found
to be correct, is to be allowed to deposit
the ballot without the dexterous intervcn-
ton of any one. Another proposition is
that all scratching must be done in writing
ink, and thus deliberation is conserved and
the "fingernail-concealed- plumbago act"
becomes lost art, and the liability of the
defeat of the voters will greatly lessened.
Ali these are good provisions. They will
lead to purity of the ballot-box, to de-
feat the Congratulations, known to
have been practiced by inspectors and judges
in handling ballots; to put an end to the
@pencil fraud in scratching; to impress
the voter more deeply with the value of
his ballot; to hasten announcement of re-
suits expedite the casting of ballots, and
prevent miscounting and errors, now so
largely due to the burning of the midnight
oil in polling places. Another important
amendment of the bill is that of Section
1858 of the Political Code, relating to
primary elections. Under the former pro-
vision as to precincts no more than $50
voters must be included in precinct. The
amendment requires that the call forla
primary must recite in addition to the
things now required, the fact that if the
primary is for a convention the appor-
tlonment and representation is to be by
precincts, or by clubs, each composed of
not less than 20 nor more than $50 men,
bers. OF co urse this is intended to Grip
pie the vicious schemes of the bosses, and
render their control of ward and district
delegations less easy, and is therefore to be
commended. This cutting down of pre-
oincts to 800 or $50 of voting strength
will give the honest voter something like
an opportunity to make himself heard.
1t Is always wise policy to divide the
eueny's strength. Take it in Sacramento
city, with its 5000 votes and three Super
visor districts, and we have 1866 (plus) Of
voters to district In primary elections
mere handful of strikers, wirepullers and
boss automatic can dictate party policy
In each of these districts. Or.
say the wards, four in number,
are made the base of primary activity, and
ssh we have l ,250 votes to each group. At
times the bosses have been SO merciful as
to pc nit six divisions, the Third and
Fourth Wards dividing into two precincts
ard yet we have groups in excess of S33
voters each, bodies so large that the "boys'
fni no difficulty whatever in making dis
tgict unwieldiness the weaponry with
which TO control them. But we have in
Sacramento occasionally as many as eleven
voting precincts, as in November last, but
never eleven for any other purposes than
voting. The average voting strength of
each is thus made over 454 But averages
tie of no value in such cases. since
some precincts cast 400, 500 and over 600
votes, requiring, with long tickets two
days and nights for completion OF the
count and at times threesdays. But if our
5000 voters can be subdivided into groups
of $50 as the maximum and LIS as the
minimum, we shall have probably twenty
precincts, averaging $50 voters in each.
With such groups as distinct political
units, the boss forces must he divided into
twenty deta ehments, and very evenly dis
tributed as to residence in order to domi-
nate primaries. The result will be tina,
in each group of $50 voters there will de-
Yelop new political interest and hereto
fore unknown independence Citizens will
find in the new order of things the oppor-
tun;ty to make themselves heard and felt
in elections, and the excuse for neglect Of
political duty so common now, It's no use
for me to attend; the boys will have the
control of the primary" will have vastly
less of force and reason.